Houses of West London - Strawberry Hill & Osterley Park

Thursday 23rd July 2026

As we have come to expect, the Arts Society Corinium once again provided an enjoyable, educational and enriching day out, this time visiting two fascinating yet very different historic houses in West London – Strawberry Hill House and Osterley House.  We departed Cirencester promptly at 8.00am and, thanks to a smooth journey, arrived at Strawberry Hill House ahead of schedule. This gave everyone the opportunity to relax with a refreshing drink and a cookie in the café grounds while enjoying the sunshine. The only thing as parched as the travellers was the grass beneath our feet!

Strawberry Hill House is unlike any other stately home.  Originally a modest villa, it was transformed by the writer, collector and politician Horace Walpole during the eighteenth century into the extraordinary Gothic Revival masterpiece we see today. Walpole continually extended the house over several decades, adding towers, battlements, turrets and ornate interiors inspired by medieval cathedrals and castles. Looking at the completed building, it resembled something I might have ended up with had I ignored the IKEA instructions or assembled Lego entirely at random! Somehow, however, Walpole's imaginative vision worked beautifully, and the blend of architectural styles only adds to the enchanting, almost

theatrical character of the house.

Our excellent guide brought the house to life with a wealth of information, interspersed with witty anecdotes, fascinating historical insights and plenty of smiles. It was easy to see why Strawberry Hill is regarded as one of the birthplaces of the Gothic Revival movement and remains one of Britain's most distinctive historic houses. 

Afterwards we continued to Osterley Park, with Richard, our coach driver, skilfully weaving his way through the ever-challenging West London traffic. Managed by the National Trust, Osterley House is one of London's last surviving great country estates and offers a striking contrast to the romantic fantasy of Strawberry Hill.

Following a welcome lunch break at the Stables Café, we enjoyed a leisurely walk through the park to the house. The knowledgeable room guides were generous with their time and added greatly to our appreciation of the interiors. Originally built as an Elizabethan mansion, Osterley was magnificently remodelled in the late eighteenth century by the celebrated architect and designer Robert Adam. His elegant neoclassical interiors, with their harmonious colours, intricate plasterwork and beautifully designed furnishings, make the house one of the finest surviving examples of his work. The splendid state rooms, preserved in remarkable ondition, were particularly impressive and gave a vivid impression of life in a grand Georgian country house.

The prolonged dry weather inevitably meant that the gardens were not looking their usual best. Even so, the sweeping parkland and mature trees still provided an attractive setting and hinted at just how spectacular the estate must be in a more typical summer.  A safe and comfortable journey home saw us arriving back in Cirencester shortly after 6.00pm, ahead of schedule.  It had been another thoroughly enjoyable day of history, architecture and good company—yet another memorable outing organised by the Arts Society Corinium.